User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
J
a Racer
from CaNADA

Date Reviewed: August 10, 2001

Strengths: Great genesis geometry.

Weaknesses: Wheels , bb, cassette, freehub,

Bottom Line:

The geometry on this bike is pretty fast and nimble for climbing but you really have to throw the rear of the bike around corners.Bontrager race wheelsI had alot of trouble with the cones comming loose on the rear wheel even when they were properly locked. I had to tighten them at least once a week.The freehub would constantly stick and i ended up going through 7 of them. This was very stupid considering that for a lot of them they would stick after two weeks of NOT muddy and NOT dusty riding.On two of the occasions the lockring actually snapped the freehub body's threads off. Once by myself and once by another shop employee. This happened because the lockring could not reach enough threads making them snap off with VERY little pressure.I solved this problem by buying new wheels. horaybb wore out after 2 months or so

If the wheels had worked this bike would have been a great value. Even though it still it a great value.i am never using or recomending bontrager wheels again and i will try to stay away from bontrager parts in general from now on

Bike Setup: swapped out the original stuff for this stuff becasue it sucked or this stuff was on clearout=syncros ti bar, syncros seatpost, specialized saddle, 517 ceramic on xt hubs, xt cassete, xt bb, new xt f.derailler

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Submitted by
Dan Rondaeu
a Racer
from Warren, MI, USA

Date Reviewed: July 14, 2001

Strengths: due to the genesis geom. it has made climbing soo much easier than a schwinn or Cannnodale

Weaknesses: rear triangle has too much frame flex

Bottom Line:

I think the Mt.Tam is the best bike i have owned. I have impoved my ridin greatly sense i got this bike last summer. I am glad i went w/ the Tam instead of goin cheap and gettin the Paragon.

Buy this bike if you're on a budget and love to race or ride like heck! The Genesis Geometry is no joke. It works. This frame climbs like a mountain goat and decends incredibly well. It's the best ride I've ever had, but at a real bargain of a price.

The componant group is pretty good, but Fisher cheaped out in spots you don't usually check. The rear cassette and bottom bracket are LX, which means they're very heavy, but durable. The Nanoraptor tires were wire bead, which is weird. I ended up warrentying the Bontrager Race cranks. After going through 4 middle chainrings (they kept bending) Fisher replaced the whole crankset with Race Lite. They also had constant chainsuck, even in dry weather when my chain was well lubbed and working well. The Race Lite cranks are the bomb....stiff, shift like butter and never ever do I get chain suck.

The bontrager race wheelset is bomb proof. I've put over 2000 hard miles on them and they've held up well. they're heavy though. I've replaced them with Velocity Aero rims, Chris King Hubs and Ti spokes. I also replaced the LX BB with an XTR and the LX rear cassette with an XTR. That and a few other tweeks have gotten my bike down to 22.5 lbs. The original weight with peddals was about 25lbs.

I put over 1500 miles and 12 XC races on the original bike before I replaced anything except chainrings. The next time I buy a hardtail I'll buy a Supercaliber, which I've raced before (borrowed from a friend), but until then my Mt Tam has been well worth the investment! It's got the same ride as Fisher's high end bike without the high cost.

Weaknesses: took at least 10 hours to break-in the Marzocchi...very unforgiving ride (to be expected from aluminum hardtail)

Bottom Line:

I wasn't too impressed with the Bontrager components except for the wheels (I swapped out the stem immediately)...but a lot of bike for the money...I got a helluva deal though at little more than a grand for this steed

Weaknesses: Even in Florida the orange ang blue paint & graphics take some getting use to.

Bottom Line:

My bike is more comparable to a super caliber now than a Mt tam but thats the whole point the frame and fork leave nothing to be desired, (the stock xt / xtr mix with avid brakes and bontrager race wheels are not to shabby either)great right out the box or great platform to go nuts with upgrades 2000 worth later i speak from expierence.

Similar Products Used: First Mt. Bike (Still a roadie at heart)Also tested Trek 8500 befor going with the Fish

Bike Setup: I have already went all XTR on brakes, shifters, Derailers. Raceface Next LP cranks w/ XS ISIS BB also Raceface bar, stem, seat post, and headset, Final touch Bontrager race lite wheels with Chris King hubs finished off with Panaracer tires.

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Submitted by
Stephen
a Cross Country Rider
from Louisiana

Date Reviewed: March 10, 2001

Strengths: Genesis Geometry, Sid shock, XT/XTR component package.

Weaknesses: None found but will update

Bottom Line:

This bike has performed very well in the first 50 miles of riding. I like the geometry specifically because it keeps the right amount of weight on the rear tire during steep climbs keeping the bike from spinning out. Decends well also. I like the sid because it offers a plush ride while also resetting quickly during fast downhill rooty sections.I haven't rode the bike enough to experiece component failure so I will update. I will also say that the bike handles bumps/roots much more comfortablley than my friends Klein ( not to take away from his great bike )

Very nice bike that climbs exceptionally well. Long top tube is very nice for riders that like to stand up on climbs and hammer; also nice for sprinting. I'm actually beginning to like the WTB Nanoraptors after 6 months, although they aren't the best choice for rocky terrain.

The one real weakness is that this bike is not quick handling, and thus, it does not do real well in tight, twisty single-track trails. On the other hand, the bike is extremely stable on high speed descents, as well as steep slow decents.

Based on my $1,400 purchase price, this bike was a great value (sure, I would have liked an XT bottom bracket and cranks, but then the bike would have cost more). Overall, I rate the bike a 4 with the lack of quick handling holding the bike back from a 5 rating.

This bike's pretty good except for the SID, I had high hopes for it, scince it got good reviews, but it felt dead! So I put in the Judy 100, which still sucks but it's better than the SID!!! P.S Check out www.missioncyclery.com

This bike gives me 1+ MPH over my previous bike on hardpack -- partially due to the tires (Nanoraptors). Swapped out the front tire for an agressive Tioga and solved the stability problem on rocky terrain (I still get the 1+ MPH with the new tire). I found the geometry a little tricky on tight hairpins at first (lotsa dumps), but this was fixed when I replaced the front tire and cut nearly two inches off the handlebar. I love the Bontrager Race parts and the FS2000 ti saddle. The Mars C fork is awesome. The Time ATAC pedals are great (yeah, so what if it takes 10 fallovers to loosen them up -- they are worth the pain). Don't buy this bike if you aren't serious about going fast -- it's race geometry is best enjoyed at speed. This is one phenomenal bike: light, solid, and fast.

The frame cracked. This was not a weld crack, but by the lower part of the seat tube. I only caught it when it was almost all the way around the tube. I am large (6'2", 250lbs). The wheels seemed to go out of true constantly. Semi-slicks are only good on the road. The BB sucks and needs constant repair. I will admit I did about 1000mi of touring on it which could have caused the problem. I think this my be a one off. If you are lighter than me, this bike should hold up, but save the recepts and check your bike. If heavy, get something steel (though for big guys this geometry is a dream). The SID was great though. Fisher was nice and is replacing it. Remember, only suckers and Christmas Shoppers pay full retail! Wait for a sale!

Strengths: Genesis Geometry and frame not as stiff as others I have owned in the past.s

Weaknesses: UN-52 BB and the Bontrager crankset. Don't much like the color scheme and decals, but are essentially OK for the price of the bike.

Bottom Line:

Supple ride for a aluminum hardtail. Light weight for a stock bike, althought I plan to change the cranks to Shimano XT with splined BB. Component package is very good for the price of the bike and everything on the bike seems to operate and function as expected. A good value in my estimation. This is a great bike for a weekend warrior and for most unsponsored racers operating on limited cashflow. The bike is plenty fast for my type of riding and climbs like a spaceship powered by a plutonium fueled rocket engine. Most riders will not be dissappointed with this Gary Fisher product.

Bike Setup: Stock out of box except for replacing the stock pedals with Shimano M-747's, my old but great favorites.

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Submitted by
GETTO RYDER
a Weekend Warrior
from CANTON MI

Date Reviewed: September 6, 2000

Strengths: THE GENESIS GEOMETRY IS GREAT!!! BEST THING OUT THERE..ITS FAST LIGHT AND EASY TO RIDE

Weaknesses: THE CRANKS AND THE TIRES

Bottom Line:

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THE BIKE IS FAST LIGHT AND EASY TO RIDE. I SPENT 2 YEARS LOOK AT BIKES AND TRYING THEM OUT AND THIS IS THE REAL DEAL.... IF YOU DONT HAVE A GREAT TIME WITH THIS BIKE THEN YOU BETTER GIVE UP THE SPORT. FOR THE LOW PRICE OF $1450 THIS BIKE IS BAD ASS!!!!!!

I had a 98 Gary Fisher Paragon frame with a Judy SL fork and an XT/LX shifting combo (no GripShift for me). It was stolen from me, and given that I spent approximately $1500 getting the Paragon to those specs, I thought "why spend time figuring out exactly the perfect custom setup for your bike when you can just buy a $1500 bike". So that is what I did. I loved the Paragon frame for it's insane climbing ability, but it was significantly heavier than the Mt. Tam that I have bought. But I am not exactly sold on the SID XC fork. I may be in the minority, but I really loved the Judy fork. It was admittedly not as plush as the SID, but it didn't squeak, and it wasn't nearly as hard to get dialed in. I also had many many problems with the Bontrager Race crankset. Basically, it sucks. My lbs agreed with me and swapped it out for an XT crank at no charge, which has performed flawlessly. The Bontrager cogs have pathetic ramps which tend to derail the chain and jam it, rather than shifting the gears. I snapped two chains and launched myself over the handlebars once before I figured out the problem. I also had the lbs swap out the BB for an UN-72. Definitely a much better drivetrain setup. I am not convinced that the Mt. Tam is any better than the Paragon, especially not $3-400 better, especially when you consider the upgrades that I made would have pushed the price of the bike up another $200, if I didn't have such a patient and understanding lbs. I am not really impressed with the quality of such an essential component of the bike as the drivetrain, especially on a bike that is not cheap. Honestly, I would recommend the Paragon to anyone looking at this bike. It is not worth the extra $$. So in terms of value, I would say this bike is average, so 3 chilis. It is not an exceptional bargain, as it does come with some crap componentry, but it is by no means a rip off. Overall, I would say a 4. It is much better than average, but it falls far short of perfect. I had to make too many upgrade to make the bike comfortable for me to ride. Nice bike, not a perfect bike, but a nice bike. I would rather see a full XT setup rather than the LX/XT/XTR/Bontrager drivetrain. Honestly, XTR ain't that cool...

Strengths: Frame design, the genesis work great in directing the riders weight further back, The bike climbs like a goat, it does things i would have never dreamed of riding up, on the flip side is goes down even faster, the breaks and shock work together very well. the bike is also a steal at 1400 w/ xtr and a SID fork... The bike is fast as HELL!